Rome ‘shocked’ by Stern’s reaction to NBA Lottery question

National radio talk-show host Jim Rome tossed what he thought was a softball question today at David Stern, but the response the NBA commissioner gave turned into a contentious dialogue between the two.

In an interview a few minutes ago with the Times Union, Rome said he didn’t believe his question on his radio show earlier today concerning the public perception that the NBA Draft Lottery may have been fixed would draw the ire of Stern. (The entire Q-and-A with Rome will run Friday in the Times Union print editions.)

“I was shocked,” Rome said by phone after taping “Rome,” his show on the CBS Sports Network. “I really was stunned. He and I have a long history. I’ve interviewed him dozens of times probably, on radio and TV over the years. Sometimes the interviews are a little more contentious than others, depending on the line of questioning and the mood he’s in.

“When I asked that question, I did not in any way expect that response. To be honest, I thought it was a softball question. It would have been an easy opportunity for him to address something that’s out there and that he would just summarily dismiss it out of hand. I had no idea he would get that upset. I was shocked by it.”

Stern’s initial response was, “I have two answers for that. I’ll give you the easy one: No, and a statement: Shame on you for asking.”

Rome, whose show airs locally on WOFX (980 AM), tried to defend why he needed to ask the question, but the commissioner was backing down. Stern then asked Rome, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?”

“A lot of people don’t know that phrase, so they thought it was extremely out of line,” said Rome, who is married with two sons. “I understood it, I knew where he was going with it.

“I thought it was inappropriate because, what it is, it’s a rhetorical device to insinuate I asked him a loaded question. I don’t think my question to him was loaded. I thought it was a very simple and very direct question.

“I thought the blog Deadspin hit it perfectly. Had I asked the question, ‘When did you start fixing the draft lottery?’ that would have been a more appropriate response. It would have been a loaded question, but I don’t think my question was loaded.”